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With the 2017 NFL season long in the books for the Washington Redskins, they must finally find an answer to the one huge question looming over the team: is quarterback Kirk Cousins is their franchise quarterback going forward?
According to one former Washington Redskins general manager, perhaps Cousins shouldn't be. During an appearance on 104.3 The Fan, Scot McCloughan said does not think the quarterback is a special player, according to Scott Alan the Washington Post:
Article Continues Below“He’s a good player,” McCloughan. “Is he special? I don’t see special. But also, we were still building a roster around him to make him special. … He’s talented. … He works his tail off. He’s so methodical. Every day he has planned out. He’s always in the building; he’s always watching tape; he’s always talking to coaches; he was talking to me. From the standpoint of the tangibles, they’re excellent. You just need to have some talent around him because you don’t want him to be throwing the ball 35 to 40 times to win the game. You want to have a running game, have a good defense, good [special] teams, and then let him do what he does.”
McCloughan spent two seasons in Washington as general manager from 2015-2016. It is clear that while he thinks Cousins is talented, the quarterback requires a stable of talent around him order to succeed. That's somewhat harsh criticism for a player who just threw for his third consecutive 4,000-yard season despite all the injuries the Redskins suffered this year.
Still, McCloughan's comments suggest that Washington should not break the bank in order to sign Cousins long-term. Interestingly enough, head coach Jay Gruden has expressed similar sentiments when discussing his future with the Redskins. However, there are enough quarterback-hungry teams out there that will likely be anxious to sign an established passer like Cousins if he does leave Washington.
